Tap or cock.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'R. R. GIBBS.

TAP OR COCK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21. 1914. 1,153,778. Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

E5555 4? AWSW R. R. GIBBS.

TAP 0R COCK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.21, m4.

' PatntedSept. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- HEW ROBERT BENTON GIBBS, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

TA on COCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14)., 1915.

Application filed February 21, 1914. Serial No. 820,277.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT BENTON GIBBs, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in the Kingdom of England, have invented certain ,new and useful Improvements in Taps or Cocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to taps and cocks of the type in which a hollow taper plug operated by a handle rotates within the bore of a barrel or casing.

The object of the invention is to provide .a tap or cock by means of which hot or cold water or a proper mixture of these can be caused to flow at will to an outlet or outlets, such as the outlet leading to the rose of a shower bath, or to the outlet leading to a douche bath or needle bath or elsewhere.

Taps or cocks have already been proposed wherein the displacement of an index on a dial marked with suitable indications, will cause cold water, hot water or a mixture of these at the required temperature, to flow out at the desired point. Some of these are complicated in construction or expensive to manufacture, while others are liable to stick, owing to the unequal expansion of the casing and the rotary plug. Now according to my invention this unequal expansion is avoided, and a simple and convenient con- .struction-obtained by making the body or casing into which plug fits with double circumferential walls so as to leave a hollow space between, and by making the plug hollow also, so that water passes first through the hollow space in the casing and then through the plug on its way to the outlet, and in which hollow plug, waters of different temperatures mix if desired, whereby all danger of sticking is obviated because the casing and plug w1ll expand or contract in equal ratios.

The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical section of my tap or cook; Fig. 2, a sectional plan view thereof and Fig. 3, a plan view not in section.

Referring to these drawings, the casing into which the hollow taper plug A closely fits, is made with double circumferential walls B C so as to leave a space between, which is divided into two chambers D E, one being fed with cold water by an inlet pipe F, and the other being fed with hot water by another inlet pipe G. Between these two chambers D E are the outlets H I which lead respectively to the shower bath or to the douche or elsewhere. The inner Wall C of the casing has ports, one of which J 1s 1n connection with the outlet that leads to say a shower bath, while another K is in connection with the outlet that leads say to a needle bath. In the inner wall C of the casing, at one side and adjacent to eachof these ports J K are the ports L that lead to the cold water chamber E in the casing; wh1le at the other side of the said ports J K, are ports M that lead to the hot water chamber D in the casing. The hollow plug A has a somewhat wide port N in its side adapted to be brought into register with adjacent ports, to put the cold water inlet E alone into connection with the outlet, or the hot water inlet D alone into connection with the outlet, or put both the hot and cold inlets 1nt0 communication with the outlet, to insure a proper mixing of hot and cold water on their way to the outlet. In this way the plug A can be turned to open andclose more or less the passage for the fluid.

The mode of action is as follows: If it is desired to deliver water to the shower bath, the handle of the index 0 is turned to open the valve A so that its ort N registers with the port M leading from the cold Water inlet D to the shower bath outlet H. A further turning of the plug A opens, more or less, the hot water inlet E so that a mixture of cold and hot water is supplied at the precise temperature required, A further turning of the plug closes the cold water inlet M so that only hot water is supplied from the inlet L to the outlet pipe H, and thus cold water or hot water can be supplied, or a mixture of these can be dedouche ports K L M, so that cold water alone, or hot water alone, or a mixture of these can be supplied, or by turning the handle into a position intermediate between these two positions, all the ports are closed. One end of the plug has an operating handle P, also the index finger O rigidly attached to the plug A, to indicate the state of adjustment of the valve. The word Ofi T on the scale,'indicates, for example, the completely closed positions of the valve; Shower and Douche indicate primarily the side to which the index must be turned to obtain a flow of water to the shower, or to the douche respectively, while .Cold and Hot at each side of these latter indications show the position to which the index 7 a turning of the index to the left (or right).

- shows that the hot water port is more open than the cold or vice versa. In this way the rate of flow of the water can be controlled, and a wide range of temperatures .of the water can be obtained. Q, are studs fixed to the valve cover, and R is a stop on 'the handle. These prevent the valve plug being rotated beyond the required limit.

I have referred to my tap or cock as being adapted for delivering a flow of water to a shower bath or to a douche at will, but I it must be understood that it may be .applied to many other purposes.

I' declare that what I claim is 1. A water distributing or mixing tap or cock of the rotary plug type, having in combination a body or casing with double .circumferential walls disposed with an intervening space between, transverse partitions 'dividlng the said space into separate chambers, said partitions providin ports leading to respective points of discharge, one of the chambers having a hot water intake port and the other chamber a cold water intake ort, a hollow plug r'otatably mounted in tlie bore of the inner wall, the inner wall of the chambers being provided with hot and cold water ports in such position that the hollow plug will bring thesaid ports into separate or collective communication with either of the discharge ports, so that the temperature of the water delivered through the outlets can be controlled.

2. In a water distributing or mixing tap or cock, the combination ofabody with double circumferential walls disposed with an intervening space between, transverse .partltlons dlametrlcally opposite one another dividing the said space into separate chambers for the inflow of cold water and hot water respectively, said partitions pro- .viding ports leading to respective points with with either of the outlet ports, so that the hot and cold water will actually mix within the plug before delivery, or into separate communication therewith so that the hot water alone or cold water alone will be discharged.

3. In a water distributing or mixing tap or cock, the combination with the valve body or casing having double circumferential walls spaced apart, transverse partitions diametr cally opposite one another dividing said space into two chambers, inlet pipes for feeding the chambers with hot and cold water respectively, said partitions providing ports leading to respective points of discharge, the inner circumferential wall of each chamber having hot and cold water ports, and a hollow valve plug so arranged that it will close the said hot and cold water "ports, or bring them into separate or collective communication with either of the outlet "ports, so that the temperature of the water delivered through the outlets can be controlled.

4. A water distributing or mixing tap or cock of the rotary plug type having in combination, a body or casing with double circumferential walls disposed with an intervening space, transverse partitions dividing the said space into separate chambers, said partitions having ports in them leading from the bore of the inner wall to the respective points of discharge, a hot water intake port in connection with one of'the chambers, a cold water intake port in connection with the other chamber, a hollow plug rotatably'mounted in the'bore of the inner wall and rovided with a single-port, and hot and co d water ports in the inner wall of the chambers adjacent to the partitions in such positions that the hollow plug will by means of its single port bring the said hot and cold water chambers into separate or collective communication with either of the discharge ports in the partitions, so

that the temperature of the water delivered I throu h the said discharge ports can be controlled.

5. In a water distributin or mixing tap or cook, the combination 0 the valve body or casing having double circumferential walls spaced apart, of transverse partitions diametrically opposite one another dividing the space into two chambers, said partitions providing radial ports leading from the bore of the inner wall to the respective oints of discharge, inlet pipes 'for feeding e chambers at opposite sides of the partitions with cold and hot water respectively, ports in the inner circumferential Wall of the chambers, one at each side of the ported partitions, a hollow valve plug mounted in the bore of the inner wall, and a single port in the hollow plug to bring the ports at each side of the partitions into separate or collective communication with either of the discharge ports in the partitions. 7

6. A water distributing and mixing cock of the rotary plug type comprising an inner circular wall, a hollow turning plug fitting therein, two oppositely arranged discharge pipes in communication with the inner circular Wall, an outer circular wall surrounding the inner wall and spaced therefrom, and said space divided by the discharge, said inner wall having an opening on each side of each discharge and communicating with the space between the inner and outer walls, said space having oppositely arranged inlet pipes, and said turning plug having a 15 In witness whereof I have hereunto signed 2) my name this 9th day of February, 1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. ROBERT RENTON GIBBS. WVitnesses:

G. C. DYMoND,

T. S. SHILLINGTON. 

